Sovereign class starship
- This article is on the Sovereign class used by Starfleet in the Star Trek fictional universe. For information on the Sovereign-class of ship used by the Galactic Empire in the Star Wars universe, see Super Star Destroyer.
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the Sovereign class of starships were the most advanced and powerful ships in Starfleet from the mid-2370s onward. The Sovereign class design is similar to traditional Federation starship design with a ellipse-shaped saucer section directly attached to the engineering section. The main bridge, lifeboats, sensors, a shuttlebay and dorsal phaser arrays are at the top of the saucer section while the ship's ventral phaser arrays, a captain's yacht and additional lifeboats occupy the ventral saucer. The sleek engineering section features the main navigational deflector, two large warp nacelles, forward torpedo launchers and an additional shuttlebay.
Despite its size, the Sovereign class was designated as a heavy cruiser, displaying Starfleet's increased emphasis on combat ready starships over exploration during the tumultuous 2370's.
With 24 decks and measuring 689 meters in length, it was longer but less massive than the Galaxy class starship that preceded it as the Federation's flagship class. As of 2379, the Sovereign class starship Enterprise remains the flagship of Starfleet. As with the Galaxy class, the Sovereign class was capable of separating into two independent components to increase survivability.
Numerous encounters with advanced threat forces during the 2370s, namely the Borg and the Dominion, prompted Starfleet to emphasize the class' battle potential over exploration capabilities, making it the most powerful starship in Starfleet in its day. The Sovereign class was equipped with type-twelve phaser arrays (the most powerful available for starship use at the time), quantum torpedoes, and standard photon torpedoes.
As with the Galaxy class before it, Sovereign class vessels underwent at least one major upgrade only a few years after entering service, namely to increase the quantity and coverage of the ship's weaponry.
In real life, the Sovereign class was designed by Rick Sternbach, Herman Zimmerman and illustrator John Eaves for Star Trek: First Contact.
- From Memory Alpha: Comments made by Rick Sternbach on the TrekBBS give the Sovereign class a designation of Heavy Cruiser, a mass of 3,205,000 metric tons, an apparent crew complement of 855, and a maximum cruising speed of warp 9.7. He also stated that it was the intent that the Sovereign Class be the replacement for the Excelsior Class. These facts have yet to be confirmed in canon.
Specifications
- Production facility: San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth
- Type: Explorer/Heavy cruiser
- Dimensions:
- Height: 88.39 m
- Length: 685.80 m
- Beam: 243.84 m
- Decks: 24
- Displacement: 3,205,000 metric tons
- Accommodation: 855 standard
- Propulsion:
- Performance: Warp 9.7
- Weaponry:
- 12 type XII phaser arrays (original); 16 type XII phaser arrays (uprated)
- 5 photon torpedo launchers (original); 10 photon torpedo launchers (uprated)
- 1 quantum torpedo launcher (firing rate of 4 torpedoes per second)
- Defenses:
- Automatically modulated regenerative deflector shields
- Heavy duranium/tritanium double hull
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- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
- Commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the Enterprise-E was launched on stardate 49027.5 from the San Francisco Yards and patrolled the Romulan Neutral Zone for one year. Circa stardate 50893.5, the Enterprise fought in the Battle of Sector 001 before being transported back to 2063 where she was partially assimilated by the Borg attempting to prevent first contact. In 2375, the Enterprise-E prevented the relocation of the Baku people from their planet in the Briar Patch in sector 441. Circa stardate 56844.9, the Enterprise was ordered to Romulus to meet with new praetor, Shinzon, who built the the Reman warbird Scimitar. The Enterprise was severely damaged while fighting the Scimitar in the Bassen Rift in sector 1045.
- USS Sovereign (NCC-75000, ex-NX-75000)
- The starship Sovereign was the pathfinder of its class.
